RE-ACTIVATE - PREVAILING OF THE UNKIND DOMINATION
ROCK IT UP RECORDS
Metal To Infinity
Franko,
leader of a great record label named Rock It Up Records sent us two new efforts
lately, one from Seven Gates (meanwhile reviewed by MTI co-editor Officer Nice)
– I will take the second review for my account… let’s spread the word of
Re-Activate originating from Tacoma, Washington USA!
Formed back in 1993, first
album saw daylight in 1995 entitled “Prevailing Domination”… ten songs to
enjoy, Re-Activate played Underground Power / Thrash Metal, right up in your
face. That first album is completely added to the tracklist of “Prevailing Of
The Unkind Domination”- as you know by now, an effort brought out by Rock It
Up Records.
In the year 2000, Re-Activate changed their name into Unkind – under this band name, they unleashed a first self titled output loaded with 7 songs. “Prevailing Of The Unkind Domination” contains both Re-Activate and Unkind albums, unfortunately I wasn’t that pleased when I heard the songs from Unkind. It seems they’ve not only changed their band name, also the style of music took a completely other direction. Please make notice of the fact that Re-Ativate's 27 years old guitar player Dean Gallinatti unfortunately died in a car crash which led the a split-up... a few years later on, the rest of the Re-Activate camp reunited like true brothers of Metal and went on under the name Unkind!
The band Re-Activate caught
my attention by the fact it’s true American styled Underground minded… a lot
of power, late 80s / early nineties influenced, for sure I had a real good time
listen to the entire album. I have to admit that my expectations perhaps were a
bit too high… I was longing for some flammable US Thrash Metal with flickering
guitar solo’s and neck snapping rhythms but these expectations were not
granted entirely. Don’t get me wrong, I really do like the way Re-Activate
brings their way of Metal – it’s just that, on some moments, more variation
is lacking to me. I’d like to place these guys somewhere in a category along
with bands like Faith Or Fear, Evildead, Faustus, Prime Evil, Sindrome. I never
heard of Re-Activate before – thanks to Rock It Up Records I can expand my CD
collection with just another US Thrash Metal outfit, worth to listen at!
I'm afraid I can’t tell
the same about Unkind – almost hard to believe how much they’re changed
since switching the band name. No more Thrash Metal to detect, Unkind still has
the power on board but this way Metal music is not my alley, honestly spoken.
Sometimes the vocal use bores me, guitars are tuned a total different way than
in times of Re-Activate… maybe it’s my personal taste of Metal music but I'm
not satisfied with these seven songs from the band Unkind. This effort came out
in 2000 and I don’t know what keeps Unkind busy nowadays. If they’re still
around, I hope to hear more of them in the near future… I’ll cross my
fingers and pray to hear them back like they were started. Hopefully, the band
will re-activate its Power / Speed / Thrash Metal engine again!
My Points: 78 / 100 (Review by Stefan)